Treasured for her wide repertoire and her luminous voice, Judy Collins is also an exceptional songwriter. “It all started because Chrissie Hynde told me that ‘My Father’ was in her top-ten list of favorite songs,” says Collins, “so I asked her to record a version of it and it went on from there. I love Rufus Wainwright and his version of ‘Albatross,’ but they are all very special.” Wainwright does indeed do justice to this unique and marvelous creation from Collins’ 1967 Wildflowers album. Leonard Cohen, whose songs she has recorded often, returns the favor with the haunting “Since You’ve Asked” from the same album. Other highlights of the 15 tracks include Shawn Colvin’s “Secret Gardens,” Jim Lauderdale’s “Easy Times,” Bernadette Peters’ “Trust Your Heart,” Ali Eskandarian’s “Song for Sarajevo,” and Joan Baez’s reprise of “Since You’ve Asked.”